Watch Hope D Absolutely Decimate Like A Version With A Cover of ‘Toxic’ By Britney Spears

Brisbane’s Hope D has spent the last two years quietly becoming one of the most exciting musicians in Australia.

Since emerging with the single ‘Swim’, the musician has combined complex and layered melodies with an uncompromising wit and honesty. A song like ‘Second’, released last year, is as good as bedroom indie-pop gets, full of cutting lyricisms and a chorus to scream into your bedroom mirror in the middle of the night.

Now, Hope D has turned her talents onto one of the most famous pop songs of the last 50 years, covering ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears for triple j’s hugely popular Like a Version.

To be perfectly honest, the cover is as good as musical mash-ups getting, staying true to the power and beauty of the original while also producing something more than a mere facsimile. That breakdown that cuts the song into tiny pieces around the three minute mark is one of the most triumphant musical moments of the year so far.

Of course, it’s always foolish to try and guess at which songs will make the Hottest 100 this far out from voting date. But this ‘Toxic’ cover seems, at the very least, like it will be in contention for a spot on that acclaimed list. It’s a banger, is what I’m trying to say.

Watch the whole thing here: